Disabled users need assistive technology such as screen readers to navigate user interfaces of computer programs. Currently, the prior art method requires a screen reader to be installed on each user's machine. However, that does not align well with today's server centralized approach to software, where thin client machines, with little software installed, talk to large servers.
Currently, if one were to configure a client machine to remotely access a server using remote operation software such as VNC or pcAnywhere, and if the screen reader were installed on the server, the spoken output would happen on the server, rather than on the client machine. The result is that the disabled user does not hear any of the spoken output at the client machine.
One solution would be for the client machine to dial in to a server via VNC, pcAnywhere, or the like, and for the user to call on a telephone and place the telephone microphone near the server's speaker. This method is impractical in that it is laborious and serves only one user.
Furthermore, having screen reading software installed at all client machines is costly and difficult to maintain. It is costly because every client needs to buy a copy of the screen reader software. Difficult to maintain stems from the fact that all clients would need to upgrade simultaneously, at each and every location, and each user machine may have configuration specific variations.
Thus there is a need for screen reading software for use in a distributed network computer system. Furthermore, there is a need for a performant format for transmitting data over the network.